Not Her Detective
by scubysnak
Summary: Jo meets Alex in a bar and hits on her. Jo/Alex. Ch 5 up
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'em….**

A/N: I've always loved "The Facts of Life" and come on, what's not to love about Alex Cabot. It struck me that Jo and Olivia might be close enough in age and Alex and Blair might not be all that different from one another. I don't know if it works, but this is what happens when I'm monitoring my students doing their End-of-Course testing for the state. If only they knew their teacher was standing at the podium writing about gasp lesbians!

XXX

The dark haired woman took up residence beside the blonde at the bar. It was evident to any observer that not only were the two strangers—unknown to each other—but they were also from opposite sides of the tracks.

The protrusion at the dark-haired woman's hip caught the blonde's attention. "Here on official business or pleasure," the blonde asked as she onced over the officer beside her, "officer."

In an accent that had lessened over the years, the dark haired woman responded, "It's Detective and I guess it depends."

The blonde smiled coyly and her blue eyes glistened. "Depends on what, Detective?" she corrected her earlier mistake and drew out her pronunciation of the woman's rank.

The dark detective stepped into the blonde's space and put her hand on her hip and huskily said, "Depends on whether you let me buy you a drink. If you do, I'm here for pleasure. If not, well, I guess business."

The blonde, intrigued by the darker woman's boldness and response further inquired, "How will turning down a drink from you lead to business—especially since your business is that of arresting criminals?"

The detective laughed and leaned in closer to the blonde, "I think there's evidence—however circumstantial—that you'd enjoy me first buying you a drink and second, uh, possibly dinner."

"And that's a crime?" the blonde asked.

"If you don't accept, it is. Come on, you're obviously not averse to the possibility of something with a woman or you'd have stated that as much or pulled back to increase the space between us," the dark haired woman countered.

"Objection. Calls for speculation," the blonde quipped as if she was sitting in a court room.

Startled, the detective eased back. "A lawyer?"

A smirk and nod confirmed her question.

"Prosecution or defense?"

"Awww," the blonde said as she sipped on her martini and crossed her legs. "How about we play a little game? Hmm? If you guess correctly I'll not only let you buy me that drink, but dinner as well."

The detective almost snorted as she nodded her head. "I'll accept your challenge." She slid onto a barstool next to the blonde and caught the bartender's eye, signaling what she wanted. Until her bottled beer was sat down in front of her, she didn't take her eyes off of her companion. She took a deep draw from the beer and began the exploration of the 'evidence' before her.

"You're wearing a suit that costs more than my monthly rent and I imagine those shoes would feed a small African village for a year." She looked away from the blonde and surveyed the other women in the bar before looking back to her, "I went to school with a girl like you. You come from money—old money. Probably a family full of lawyers and judges. I'm guessing you live in a high-rise with a doorman. Of course, there's a garage that houses a ridiculously overpriced foreign car that you seldom, if ever drive. And then, it's only to the old family estate…in the Hamptons."

"Martha's Vineyard," the blonde corrected. "But please, do go on."

The detective took another swig of her domestic, bottled beer and continued.

"All girls prep school. Ivy Leage college. And I'm guessing you didn't do one of the Seven Sisters," she eyed her cautiously. "Only child. Daddy's little girl—and it broke his heart and pissed him off to no end that instead of joining his practice you became a prosecutor. How am I doing so far?"

The blonde nervously fingered the swizzle stick in her drink before cocking her head to the side, "Eerily well. How…how do you know so much?" For her part, the prosecutor didn't know whether to be spooked that someone she just met could see through her so easily or worried that this gorgeous detective in front of her had accessed information on her.

"Like I said," she put her now empty beer bottle on the bar, "I knew a girl like you once."

"And what happened to her?" the blonde asked out of genuine interest.

"She was a daddy's girl who had no interest in pissing her daddy off. She married the right guy, lives in the right neighborhood, joined the right country clubs, sits on all the right boards." The detective smiled sadly.

"So you're here looking for a substitute? An imitation, although quite possibly a better model, of the woman who broke your heart?"

"Nah, Princess. You can't have a substitute for something you never had to start with. 'Sides, Blair and I were always biting and sniping at one another. We were best friends, but to most people on the outside looking in, we couldn't stand each other."

The blonde reached out and put her hand on the knee of the woman beside her, "I know the name of the woman who was your best friend and the Cliff Note's version of her life story, but I still don't know your name, Detective."

"Ya know, babbling about Blair isn't the way I typically try to pick up women in bars," she admitted sheepishly. "My name is Joanna, Detective Joanna Polniaczek."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," she cocked her head to the side and smirked, "Joanna."

The dark detective tilted her head back and laughed, "Jo. My friends call me Jo."

"Jo. My friends call me Alex, Alex Cabot. Now, about that drink you owe me."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'em….**

_Two days later…_

"And then Tootie, that kid never went anywhere without those skates, well, she tried to twirl in the middle of the floor with them on and bumped into Blair who was carrying a bucket of dishes. The dishes went flying, Blair hit the ground and Tootie rolled right over her fingers, breaking four on her right hand," Jo laughed as she adjusted the napkin in her lap and looked up nervously at the blonde sitting across from her.

"I imagine she had it in for Tootie for a while after that?"

"Nah, it was me she gave hell for weeks. Seems since I had to have her cover for me since I had detention it was all my fault. She wouldn't have been there otherwise. I gotta tell ya, Alex, she put me through the ringer for weeks. I had to take her notes, pull her shift. You name it, I had to do it just to get her to shut up. The worst part, I can't even believe I'm gonna tell ya this, but I had to help her with her makeup."

Alex's blue eyes twinkled. "From what you've told me about her, I imagine that in and of itself was a task."

The detective picked up her wine glass and took a healthy sip before sitting it back down. "Oh yeah. It was. Blair was," she paused for a moment, "something else."

The faraway look in the detective's eyes didn't go unnoticed by her blonde companion. Neither did the hint of a sad smile that played at her lips when she reminisced about her old classmates.

"So, enough about me. How's about you? I mean, I'm sure you have plenty to share," Jo asked with genuine interest.

"I'm not sure there's much about me that you'd find that interesting, Jo. You pretty much nailed everything I'd normally share with someone on a…date," she offered as she raised an expectant eyebrow.

Jo took the napkin from her lap and dropped it on the table as she leaned forward with her elbows now on the table, "A date, eh?"

The blond nodded in affirmation as she deposited her napkin on the table and imitated her dinner companion's posture, belying her unspoken nervousness. "Unless that's too forward. I mean, I assumed…"

The detective cut her off with a finger pressed against her lips, "Relax, Counselor. I thought it was understood all along that this was a date and not just me winning some silly bet."

They were so caught up looking in one another's eyes that they hadn't noticed the waiter approach and stand by their table. He cleared his throat to get their attention before asking, "Would you ladies like anything else?"

Without taking her eyes off of the younger woman before her, Jo answered, "Only the check, please." Sensing his next question, she added, "It's all on one bill."

The blond sat back, adjusted her glasses and reached for her purse.

"If you're about to do what I think you're gonna do, don't think about it, Blondie. I got this," Jo commanded as she reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a small wallet, quickly producing a credit card and handing it to the waiter as he put the bill down on the table between the two women. "This one is on me, Alex."

Having caught on that both money and privilege were two things that bothered the older woman immensely, Alex decided not to argue and simply said, "Thank you."

When the waiter returned and Jo had signed the receipt, they quietly gathered their jackets and headed toward the door. Alex promptly handed over her ticket to the valet.

"I had…" The both spoke at the same time and broke into a brief fit of giggles when they realized what they were doing.

"Sorry, you first," Jo said as she pulled her jacket tighter around her.

Alex focused on pulling her gloves on and gathered her thoughts. "I was going to say I had a lovely time."

Disappointment flashed across the detective's face. "Lovely time. I know what that's code for. _I had a lovely time, but I'm not really interested. I had a lovely time, but you're not really my type. I had a lovely time, but your name has never been in the society section of the paper._"

Alex stood in stunned silence while the woman before her ranted. She had never been so openly mocked in public and especially not by a date.

"Ya know what? All you society girls are the same," she adjusted her stance as she continued her tirade. Her hand was on her hip, splaying the leather jacket she wore open and exposing the badge and holstered weapon on her hip. "You'd think I'd have learned my lesson all them years ago with Blair." She ran her hand through her hair, clearly frustrated with both the situation and herself.

"Jo, I was…"

She was cut off by the older woman for the second time that night. "I get it. Alright. Ya got dinner and a few drinks out of me, but now that your _lovely time_," she accentuated 'lovely time' by making quotes in the air with her fingers, "is over with, you want to get as far away from me as possible and you think this really wouldn't work out. There, I said it for you. Saved you the problem of wasting your breath on me, at least."

Alex was angry and embarrassed. People had come and gone from the restaurant while her date had verbally accosted her on the sidewalk. When the valet pulled up in her car, she quickly strode to the driver's side and handed him a tip. Before ducking into the car, she walked back to her date that was still standing on the sidewalk. "In your line of work, I'd think it prudent not to jump to conclusions so quickly. I did have a lovely time and I _was_ going to suggest a second date, detective. Clearly you just saved me the trouble of making a mistake. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an arraignment in the morning. With any luck, I'll make the front page of the paper this time instead of the society pages."

Alex didn't wait for a retort or an apology. She simply took the few quick steps back to her car, got in and sped off leaving a stunned, angry and confused detective in her wake.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'em…**

_Three days later…_

"When you approached the man you suspected was the defendant, Mr. Corey Peterson, what did he do?" Alex asked as she leaned back against her desk, focusing on the notes she had written down on her legal pad.

The brunette, sank back against the leather couch and explained, "First, I identified myself as NYPD. Before I could do anything else, he took a swing at me."

Her tone was flat, "The defendant assaulted you, Detective Benson?"

Olivia smirked as she answered, "I said he took a swing at me—I didn't say it connected. I was able to step out of the way and subdue him, at which time my partner caught up to us and we Mirandized the suspect and took him into custody. It was while we were patting him down before putting him in our squad car that we discovered his identification."

"And why is that relevant, detective?"

"Mr. Peterson had taken great measures to, uh, alter his appearance," Olivia responded just as she would have had she been on the stand.

She was relaxed as the two women went over her testimony for the following day. It had been a tough case on the squad and Olivia's testimony would pretty much be all that Alex needed to secure her conviction.

She smiled at the picture in her head of Mr. Peterson at the time of his arrest. "Let's just say he had to be the ugliest woman I've ever seen. He was wearing a blond wig, but hadn't shaved. His dress was easily three sizes too large for him and he had on," she couldn't help but laugh, "white tube socks with military boots. Like I said—one ugly woman."

Alex was no longer able to contain her laughter and bent over at the waist laughing until her eyes were brimming with tears.

"Liv, I swear, it was all I could do not to laugh in his face when he asked you during the interrogation how you knew it was him. I mean, we get some pretty stupid criminals, but…"

A knock at the open door caused both women to stop laughing and compose themselves.

Olivia noticed how Alex's demeanor immediately changed and how her shoulders slouched forward. She moved behind her desk, dropping her notes on it as she sank into her chair.

"Like I told you yesterday and the day before, I don't want them. Give them to your girlfriend or drop them in the dumpster on your way out."

The flower delivery guy looked confused, as he had the previous two days when he attempted to make a delivery.

"But ma'am…"

He was silenced with a heavy hand being slapped down on a desktop. He looked to the other woman in the room for some guidance. She rose to her feet, pulling a few bills from her pocket and exchanged the money for the flowers. She shut the door and turned back to Alex who was now obviously directing her anger at Liv.

"Alex…"

"I said I didn't want the damn flowers, Liv. Why can't you just leave stuff alone? Why do you always have to…"

"Hold up there, Counselor," Olivia said as she put the flowers down on the desk. "Just because you're angry with the asshole who sent these flowers doesn't mean you get to take it out on me."

Alex dropped her head onto her desk and let out a frustrated groan. "Have you ever had a really good date and then the person you're with jumps to conclusions and says something at the end to totally fuck it all up?"

"So this boyfriend of yours screwed things up by jumping to the wrong conclusion?" Liv asked.

She didn't want to lie to Liv, but she also didn't want to reveal too much about her personal life, so she nodded and simply said, "Yeah, something like that. It was weak. She knew it. And from the sideways glance Liv gave her, she suspected Olivia knew as well.

Liv plucked the card off of the flowers and handed it to Alex. "I think it's a safe bet he quickly recognized the error of his ways if he's tried sending you flowers for three days in a row, Al."

Her fingers delicately traced over the lavender petals of the flowers, before she opened the card and after reading it, tossed it on the desk.

"Give him another chance, Alex." She motioned to the flowers, "He obviously thinks you're worth it."

Alex swiveled in her chair to avoid the look on Olivia's face and missed her reaching for the now open and discarded card that accompanied the flowers. It wasn't until Liv was reading it aloud that Alex realized she was in possession of the card. "_I made a ROOKIE mistake. Please forgive me and let me make it up to you. Yours, J."_

She tapped the card lightly against the palm of her left hand. "Rookie mistake? Alex, is this guy a baseball player or a cop? Those are the only two people I know who use the word rookie."

Alex could feel a migraine coming on. Her detective was getting too close to asking the questions she didn't want to answer.

"Cop." Her answer was curt and pointed. "Now if you don't mind," she held her hand out expectantly for the card.

"He just signed it J. What's his name? I know a Jay Marcela over at the 1-8, but I'm pretty sure he's too old for you. Wait, it's not John, is it? You and Munch would just be," Olivia physically shuddered at the image that rapidly bounced around her head.

"Jo," was all she said. Jo was at least a name that would not give away the gender of the person who had sent the flowers.

"What precinct does this Joe work in? Let me check him out and make sure he's a stand up guy. I know someone in just about every…"

"That's not necessary. Being an ADA has its privileges as well, Olivia. I already did my homework," she said dismissively as she stood and began shoving files into her bag. Her irritation was evident.

"Sorry, you're right. I guess I was just curious about my friend's admirer. Still though, just tell me what precinct. Satisfy that one curiosity."

Alex was now standing at the door and slipping her coat on. "I think when I confirmed that it was not John Munch I had satisfied a curiosity."

Olivia stood her ground, leg cocked out to the side and her arms crossed over her chest.

Alex rolled her eyes and exhaled deeply, "41st. Now promise me you'll drop this, Liv. I don't want you asking around or sticking your nose in this. It has nothing to do with you."

Liv quickly went over the precinct numbers in her head and her head snapped up when she realized where the 4-1 was. "That's in the Bronx, Alex! You're dating a cop from the Bronx."

"One date. All I had was one date. And you see how that went. Now, I'm sorry, but it's late. I should be heading out and I'm sure you have a case to work on or a witness to interview."

Olivia nodded. She had hit a sore spot with the ADA and she suspected that whatever had happened between her and the cop from the 4-1 either had something to do with Alex being a Manhattan girl or him being a cop from the wrong neighborhood.

"You're right. I should go get going. I guess I'll see you in court tomorrow morning, Counselor." Olivia brushed past her and turned as soon as she was out of the office, opting to take the stairs instead of the elevator.

Alex took one last glance at the flowers on her desk and decided that she'd make a phone call from her car. After all, she, too, had jumped to conclusions before. And it wasn't like anyone else was beating down her door for a date these days.


	4. Chapter 4

_Three weeks later…_

"Yeah, I'm here now. There are lights on, but we know that doesn't mean anything. I'll call you back and let you know what I find out." Olivia snapped the phone shut and dropped it into her jacket pocket before jogging up the stairs of the brownstone.

Inside, Alex Cabot was putting the finishing touches on what she hoped would be a romantic dinner. Her preparations were cut short first by the buzzer being held down incessantly and then the pounding on her door. Cursing the interruption and who she knew was behind it, she hurried to her door and swung it open angrily.

"Detective." Her tone was icy and her eyes were angry, but Liv didn't notice.

No sooner had the door opened and Olivia laid eyes on Alex than she crossed the threshold and entered the home. Her senses were assaulted by the soft music, low lights and the aromas drifting in from the kitchen. In a swift move, she pulled her jacket off and deposited it on the back of Alex's couch, following her nose into the kitchen.

"God, Alex. I didn't know you could cook," she said as she lifted and replaced lids on various pots.

"What are you doing here, Olivia?" Alex stood stock-still, her arms crossed over her chest and her features schooled into a wary, hard stare.

She gave her friend a sideways smile and walked over to the fridge, pulling a beer out before shutting the door. She popped the cap off and took a long draw before answering, "Do you know how many times I've tried calling you? Is there something wrong with your phone, Lex?"

A sound over Alex's shoulder drew Liv's attention. She raised an eyebrow and gave a knowing smirk. "Now I wonder who that could be?"

"Liv, I'm begging you. Please leave. Leave now," Alex begged of her friend.

"You were right, babe. That shower did the tri….," the long-legged brunette who came into focus froze mid-sentence as she took note of another person in the room before standing beside Alex. In the briefest of moments, she took in all that was Olivia Benson and sized her up before holding her hand out, "You have to be none other than Olivia. I've heard so much about you."

Liv turned and put her beer down on the counter behind her before turning back to the woman with her hand still extended. She took a deep breath and looked from the hand to Alex and then back to the woman holding the appendage out. She finally seized the hand and squeezed firmly.

"And you are?"

"Oh, sorry, I thought that, uh," she looked back at Alex and continued, "Detective Jo Polniczaek. Bronx 4-1. I gotta tell ya, your reputation even in the Bronx is legendary. When Lexie here started going on and on about her friend Liv, I had no idea it was you until she referred to you as one of her detectives."

"Detective Polniczaek?" Liv confirmed as her lips tightened into a thin line.

"Jo. You can just call me Jo."

Olivia nodded, the other woman's hand still firmly ensconced in hers. "Jo," she affirmed before turning to Alex. "Unfortunately, I haven't heard _nearly_ enough about you."

Alex flinched at the icy tone in Liv's voice.

Olivia dropped Jo's hand and stepped back, looking around the kitchen and feeling very much out of place. After all, two was company, but three was a crowd.

"I, uh, I've gotta get back to the station," she said as she made her way to the front door of the brownstone.

"I'm just going to see her out," Alex told Jo before falling in step behind Olivia in the hall.

As Olivia pulled the door open, she flinched at the sudden pressure of Alex's hand on her shoulder.

"Liv?"

She looked back over her shoulder, "What the hell was that, Alex? That's a woman in there. Are you…are you dating a woman?" She walked out the door and turned to face Alex, her face void of all emotion.

"Is that a problem?"

Liv ran a hand through her hair and looked skyward while shaking her head. "A problem? Is it a problem that you're dating a woman? Yes, it's a problem, Alex. You're not gay."

"Liv, please. I can explain," she said to the hunched shoulders of the quickly retreating detective. She closed the door and leaned her head against it before taking a few calming breaths and turning around only to find herself face to face with Jo.

Green eyes pierced her and the smile from earlier in the evening left her face, "She didn't know about us, did she?"

Alex attempted to walk past her only to have Jo grip her upper arm and stop her.

"Dinner is almost ready. Why don't we just enjoy the rest of our evening, Jo?" Alex attempted to placate Jo as she slipped her arms around her and pulled the older woman flush against her own body.

Jo let out a deep sigh and squeezed Alex gently before kissing her on the crown of her head. She pulled back and took Alex's hand in her own before walking back toward the kitchen.

Alex busied herself with the final touches on their meal and felt Jo's eyes follow her every move.

"I hope you think this chicken paella tastes half as good as you obviously think my ass looks."

One hand reached around her and turned the knobs on the stove off as the other slid up Alex's back, along her neck and into her hair. Jo used her grip on the blonde tresses woven among her fingers to pull Alex's head back against her shoulder. Hungrily, she lowered her mouth to the alabaster neck and planted fleeting kisses along it as her other hand snaked around to Alex's stomach and pulled her back against her.

Alex closed her eyes and moaned at the feather-light kisses her girlfriend was giving her neck. "I thought you wanted a home-cooked meal tonight, Joanna."

"I did, but right now, you're the only thing I want to eat."

She spun Alex around in her arms and moved them a few steps to the left of the stove. As Alex closed the distance between their mouths and eagerly raided Jo's mouth with her tongue, Jo eased her onto the kitchen counter and flattened her palms on Alex's thighs and began to rub them slowly down toward her knees and then up toward her hips, her thumbs grazing the sensitive skin just inside her thighs.

Alex moaned into Jo's mouth as her hands moved even higher, eventually tucking into the waistband of the cotton shorts she was wearing and tugging them down, aided by Alex lifting herself slightly on the counter.

Alex's hands grasped at the loose t-shirt Jo was wearing and yanked it up. Jo ceased her ministrations long enough to raise her arms to allow it to be removed.

Both women were breathing heavily and the flush in Jo's chest was visible even in the low lighting of the kitchen.

"I've never done this before," Alex admitted.

Jo, who had been drunk on lust, immediately sobered and looked at Alex questioningly. "You mean…I'm your first?"

Alex shook with laughter. "First? Hell no, Jo. I meant I'd never been fucked on the kitchen counter before."

Jo's eyes darkened. "Say it again."

Alex's lips curled into a smile. "Say what again?"

"Fuck." Jo licked her lips unconsciously as the word left her mouth and hung in the air between the two women.

"You like it when I talk dirty, Detective?" Alex sneered as she reached out and took one of Jo's nipples between her fingers, using it to draw the older woman closer to her. "If that's the case, you'll absolutely _love_ what I have to say as the night progresses."

"Come on, Lexie. Say it," Jo pleaded as she pushed Alex's legs further apart, her fingers splayed over her soon to be lover's skin as she skirted them upwards toward her goal.

"_Fuck_," Alex husked. "I've never been _fucked_ on my kitchen counter. Are you going to _fuck _me good, Jo?"

The words had barely escaped her before her head snapped back against her kitchen cabinets as Jo unceremoniously slipped two fingers inside her and a streaming mantra of 'oh fuck' ensued.

_The next day…_

Alex shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Her body was still trying to overcome the activities of the previous evening.

She knew what she had to do and dreaded it. At least having Detective Benson come to her would give her a comfort zone to work within. She pressed a call button and her secretary's voice answered immediately, "Yes, Ms. Cabot."

"Sheila, would you call Detective Benson and ask her to come over with the Marskey file?"

"Will do. Is there anything else you need, Ms. Cabot?" The perky blonde asked.

"A few painkillers and a bottle of water when you have a moment," Alex answered as she pressed the intercom button to end the conversation.

Alex was so busy working on a case she didn't hear her door open. She did however notice the file that landed rather unceremoniously on her desk, having been practically tossed there by Olivia.

"Liv."

"Counselor."

Alex stood and moved to the door, closing it and coming back to stand in front of Olivia as she had done countless times. The two women looked at each other for a moment before Alex cleared her throat and moved back behind her desk for the apparent security it afforded her.

Once she was seated, she placed her hands flat on her blotter and took a deep breath. "Liv, about last night…"

"…I don't want to hear it. Okay? Your personal life is your personal life."

"It's not that simple, okay," Alex argued and was quickly cut off by Olivia standing and slipping her hands into her pockets.

"It is that simple, Al. We're supposed to be friends. Hell, other than Elliot, I considered you my closest friend."

She realized that Liv was going to leave before she had a chance to fully explain herself and couldn't let that happen. She moved from behind her desk and quickly ran to her office door, impeding Liv's escape.

"Alex, either move or I'll move you." Her tone didn't scare the ADA and she stood her ground.

"Not until you hear me out. That's all I'm asking. Then you can leave."

Olivia raised an eyebrow in response and waited.

"Oh. Yeah. Well," Alex hadn't thought about what she'd actually say—only that she needed to talk to Olivia. "I don't believe I actually lied to you."

Olivia opened her mouth to speak but Alex cut her off. "I know that from your perspective, it probably feels like I did. You assumed that the person who sent me the flowers was a man."

"And you let me think that. You could have corrected me. You're not gay, Alex. I'd know if you were gay. We go to dinner and the movies all the time. Don't you think I'd have picked up on you checking out women?" The frustration and hurt on Liv's face was finally revealed.

Alex's energy was suddenly sapped as she pushed off of the door and moved closer to Liv. Her voice was softer and her tone not as defensive. "I didn't trust myself. It had nothing at all to do with you. And yes, I know that makes no sense, but it's the best I can do. You just always assumed I was into men and I never bothered to correct you. The fact of the matter is that I'm gay, Liv."

The brunette stood mutely shaking her head refusing to believe what her younger friend was revealing.

"Liv, it's true," she reached out and lifted Olivia's chin with her fingertips so she could look her in the eyes. "Your best friend—me—is gay. And I'd appreciate your understanding."

Liv stepped back as if Alex's fingers had burned her. "You're not. You can't be. You're just confused. I asked around. This Jo character has a reputation. She's just got you convinced that you're something you're not."

A storm was brewing in Alex's blue eyes as she stepped closer to Olivia once again. "I'm going to ignore the part about you 'asking around' for now. And I'm going to say this one more time. So, please, pay attention and don't misunderstand my words. I'm gay. What do I have to do to convince you?"

"No, you…" Liv's words were cut off by Alex's mouth being forced against hers. Two silky smooth palms, one on either side of her face, held her head still as Alex deftly swiped her tongue over Liv's lips. She tasted of stale coffee and something else.

Alex pulled back and Liv was still standing there with her eyes closed, her breathing now erratic.

"Olivia?" Nervousness tinted her voice as the weight of what she had just done bore down on her like the world on the shoulders of Atlas.

Almost at the instant Olivia's eyes opened, Alex felt the unfamiliar sting of hand on her face. Olivia had slapped her. Her eyes slammed shut at the searing pain. When she opened them again, her detective was gone and her door was standing open.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'em….**

_A/N: This story has started to take a different turn than I had previously expected (or had hoped for)_. _In my head, the direction it's taking is actually more compelling than a crossover fic between FOL and SVU._

"She did what?" the bulky detective nearly shouted as his partner was busy slamming drawers on her desk.

"I said she kissed me. She fucking kissed me. Just grabbed me and BAM! Laid one on me," Olivia answered, purple with frustration.

She glowered at him as she locked her gun in her desk. "That's just disgusting. Wipe the drool off your chin, El!"

She sank into her desk chair, finding it more uncomfortable than usual, and tried to busy herself with DD5s and case files that had been piling up on her desk. She was finding it particularly difficult to hold a pen in her hand, having obviously and painfully burst a blood vessel in a finger when she slapped Alex.

Occasionally, her attention would drift to one of the photos on her desk. She and Alex had taken an impromptu mini-vacation last fall and had found themselves in Vermont. The mountains behind them in the photo were a sea of reds, oranges and yellows. Alex was pouting and looking at Liv as she snapped the photo of them.

Nothing would ever be the same now. Every moment they had spent together in friendship as kindred spirits was being questioned in Liv's mind. Had every seemingly thoughtful gesture made by Alex over the years been a ploy to seduce her? How had she missed what had surely been obvious signs? There had to have been obvious signs, right? She growled and picked the photo up, tossing it in the trash can beside her desk.

Having listened to her grunts and heavy sighs long enough, Elliot decided to take matters into his hands. His chair screeched backwards over the old-tile floor as he moved away from his desk. Liv looked up only long enough to realize he was about to grab her by the arm and jerked it out of the way.

He bent down next to her ear and whispered forcefully, "Crib. Now," before he stomped up the stairs. Once he reached the landing and she still hadn't moved, he shouted down to her, "LIV!!"

She stood up so quickly that her chair tumbled backwards. She didn't bother to pick it up as she followed her partner's barked command. He had already stepped inside the crib when she reached it and unceremoniously slammed the door. The sound of glass rattling echoed throughout the room below.

She stood defiantly and petulantly near the door as her partner rolled up he sleeves and paced wordlessly for a few minutes.

"You know, I'm gonna say some stuff you probably won't like so you may wanna get comfortable," he boomed as he puffed out his chest and rocked on the balls of his feet.

"If this is about Alex, don't bother." She had already turned the knob on the door before he spoke again, but immediately froze when he did.

"I thought _you_ were gay."

Olivia closed her eyes and took few breaths, relinquishing her hold on the door before slowly turning around. She glared at Elliot sideways, unable to face him directly.

"You what?" The anger and indignation in her voice were palpable.

"We all did--well, I dunno if the Cap'n did. But yeah, even Kathy. And then, when you and Alex-----"

"When me and Alex what?" She paused, but didn't let him answer before she continued. "So you all sat around and decided what--that since you never see me with men that I'm...that I'm gay? The fact that I outrun your asses in a chase have anything to with it?"

"Liv, it wasn't..." Elliot tried to explain.

She threw her hands up and paced past him to the window that overlooked the rain-soaked street below, her fingers tangled in the wire mesh that covered it--serving no purpose other than to keep her from hurling herself out of it at that particular moment.

Quietly she asked, "Why did you think we were a couple?"

She turned around, leaning back against the window and wrapping her arms around herself. "That's what you were implying, right? That all of you thought....that we were...that Alex and I....were a couple."

He could read her body language. She was beyond uncomfortable with the topic and mortified that people--her friends--had been speculating about her sexuality behind her back.

Elliot, in an attempt to appear less threatening, sat down on one of the bunks and weighed his words carefully. He kept his blue eyes on her brown ones as he spoke.

"Ya changed after Alex joined the team." He noticed her head pop up and stopped her, "and I mean that in a good way. You worked harder. You pushed a perp harder if you knew she was watching the interrogation. She did the same with witnesses on the stand if you were in the courtroom. It was like some weird mating dance."

He sat there with a sly smile on his face.

"Don't do that. Don't sit there and talk about us with that look on your face. I know that look. You're picturing us doing stuff. So. Stop. It."

"Sorry. We were all pretty sold on a relationship after the Cheryl Avery case. And then there were the dinners, the little trips. You'd always volunteer to take over case files or the way she'd drop in for no reason at all. And she always remembered how you liked your coffee. That was always her excuse for not bringing any for the rest of us. And let's not even talk about the looks between the two of you."

"There was and never will be anything like that between us. First of all, I'm _not_ gay. Alex is convinced she is, but I still don't..."

His tone, before softer and understanding, now grew loud and angry. "You know, the last person I'd ever have expected to be so judgmental is you, Liv. She's your friend. And you're willing to lose that because of...small-mindedness? If that's the case, then thinking you were gay wasn't the only thing I was wrong about."

She stepped closer to him than she had been all afternoon with eyes blackened by anger and what he believed to be betrayal.

"You...you and the rest of your buddies need to leave my personal life out of your water-cooler gossip. I'm not gay. I couldn't be any less gay."

He held his hands up in a placating gesture. "Alright, Liv. I believe you if you say so. But ask yourself this. That kiss that Alex laid on you--how long did it take you to push her away? And when you saw another woman--another female detective--with her, was it disgust or jealousy you felt?"

For the second time that day, Olivia resulted to physical confrontation. His head didn't even turn when the flat of her palm connected with his cheek. Truth be told, he had expected it from the moment he told her he thought she was gay.

"Fuck you, El. Fuck you!"

Long after he heard her feet leave the stairs and after another door had slammed, he sat there. His face was burning, but he wouldn't even give her the satisfaction of reaching up to massage the ache away. After a few moments, he stood up and said to himself, "That went well."


End file.
